I made a terrible mistake when I got clinically depressed back in 2014.
I stopped talking.
Oh, I was saying lots of words, but not the ones that mattered.
I talked to my students—in Spanish and English—as I taught my classes each day. But I didn’t ask the other teachers for advice and help with the discipline problems and other challenges that stressed me out.
I talked to my friends at church, but I didn’t tell them how much I was struggling as I got more and more depressed.
I was more open with my family, but I didn’t say enough about how I was feeling until the hopelessness almost overwhelmed me. Finally, I told my husband everything and got the help I needed.
As we focus on mental health this month, let’s recognize the tendency to clam up and isolate ourselves when things aren’t going well.
We don’t want to burden others with our problems.
We think we “should” be able to handle things on our own.
We feel like other people get tired of hearing about our struggles.
So we stop talking and get wrapped up in the negative thoughts that prompted this vicious cycle. Staying there all alone will just add to our feelings of anxiety and depression.
Sharing our thoughts and feelings with someone else may help relieve some of that stress and get us moving in a more positive direction.
It could be a friend, a family member, a therapist, or a stranger on a hotline (800-273-8255).
It doesn’t matter who it is. Whatever you do, keep talking.
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2 NIV)
Do you stop talking when you get depressed or anxious? How can focusing on God help you choose to talk to someone instead?